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Argamak (armoured fighting vehicle)
The Argamak is an 8×8 multi-role military vehicle designed and produced by the Kandjazire Transport Engineering Factory in Tabi'atstan. It is named Argamak after the old name for the Akhal-Teke breed of horses historically highly regarded by the Russians and Chinese. Development In mid-2016 the Kandjazire Transport Engineering Factory began work on an 8×8 vehicle for use as an armoured personnel carrier and self-propelled artillery platform that would become the Argamak. By September 2017 a working prototype had been completed and exhibited to the public, after which it entered trials. In October 2018 the vehicle entered service with the Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Army Ground Force and began to be promoted for export. Production and service history Design The Argamak is based on a heavily upgraded BTR-70 chassis with significant changes to the layout and technical capabilities. As with most modern armoured fighting vehicles, the engine is in the front with the troop compartment in the rear. The vehicle has a crew of three and can carry from three to fourteen passengers depending on the variant, with troops embarking and deploying either from the rear door or via the roof hatches. The vehicle is powered by a 320 hp inline-6 four-stroke turbocharged IVECO diesel engine which is license-produced locally in Tabi'atstan and linked to an automatic 6+1 gearbox, giving it a top speed of 100 km/h on roads. It is amphibious, being propelled by a single water jet mounted at the rear of the hull and with a top speed of 8 km/h in water. However, the amphibious capability is lost in some variants such as the self-propelled artillery variant. The Argamak is protected by rolled homogeneous steel armour (RHA) providing all-round protection against 7.62 mm rounds and shell splinters and protection against 12.7 mm rounds in the frontal arc. It can also withstand an anti-tank mine with the explosive equivalent of 6 kg of TNT, with shock-absorbing seats increasing crew and passenger safety in case of the vehicle being hit by a mine. The vehicle can be upgraded with additional ceramic armour modules raising the protection level to allow the vehicle to withstand 14.5 mm rounds and anti-tank mines with the explosive equivalent of 10 kg of TNT. Automatic fire suppression and NBC protection systems are included as standard, and the vehicle has six smoke grenade launchers. Primary armament for the infantry fighting vehicle variant of the Argamak comes in the form of a 30 mm 2A72 autocannon, although this may be swapped out in other variants. The IFV variant is also armed with a coaxial 7.62 mm PKT machine gun, an AGS-17 Plamya automatic grenade launcher, and a 9M113 Konkurs anti-tank missile launcher. Additional standard equipment includes a radio set for communication, thermal cameras to allow the driver to better see at night, a 360° day/night camera system, and an intercom system. Variants *Armoured personnel carrier: Unarmed armoured personnel carrier variant *Infantry fighting vehicle: Standard IFV variant with 30 mm 2A72 autocannon main armament *Infantry fighting vehicle with BMP-1 turret: IFV variant with 73 mm 2A28 Grom low pressure smoothbore gun main armament in BMP-1 turret *Self-propelled artillery: SPG with 155 mm howitzer *Mortar carrier: Variant with 120 mm mortar in the rear compartment and a top mounted 7.62 mm PKT machine gun *Command vehicle: Variant with additional communications equipment *Recovery vehicle: Armoured recovery vehicle with winch and crane *Ambulance: Unarmed ambulance Operators Current operators *'Tabi'atstan' **Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Army Ground Force See also *2015 Tabi'atstani military reform *Pasdar (armoured fighting vehicle) Category:Tabi'atstan Category:Military of Tabi'atstan